Pelni, travel agents meet to improve marine tourism
Pelni, travel agents meet to improve marine tourism
JAKARTA (JP): Executives of the state-owned shipping firm PT
Pelayaran Nasional Indonesia (Pelni) and some 80 travel agents
began a four-day workshop yesterday to formulate measures to
improve the country's marine tourism industry.
The chief of the Jakarta office of the Ministry of Tourism,
Post and Telecommunications, Pudjo Basuki, said at the opening
ceremony of the workshop on the Umsini passenger ship at the
Tanjung Priok port here that Indonesia needs to develop its
marine tourism because most of its territories are waters.
"Sea travel is only one of the potential opportunities in
marine tourism," he said, adding that in the United States, the
shipping industry has enjoyed high growth with support from that
country's marine tourism.
The workshop, proceeding while the ship is en route to a
number of cities, will discuss how to improve services in the
marine industry related to Pelni's shipping services.
Pudjo also said that in the global business world, Indonesia
must improve its marine industry services while more foreign
cruising vessels operate in the country's waters.
"Business opportunities in sea travel will be plentiful. We
must improve our sea tourism with all of available facilities,"
Pudjo said.
He said meetings between governmental institutions and private
businesses are needed to promote the business.
Meanwhile, vice chairperson of the Association of Indonesian
Travel Agencies (Asita) Rae Sita Supit said that Pelni needs to
improve its service by installing a computerized reservation
system for its executive class ticketing.
She said that Asita and Pelni last year signed an agreement of
executive class ticketing sales, but the service must be improved
if a reservation system is implemented.
Pelni will have a total of 24 passenger ships by 1998 and will
receive the delivery of its 15th vessel, the Bukit Raya, next
month. The company, established in 1952, transported more than
3.9 million people last year and is estimated to transport more
than 4.6 people to 65 ports this year. (icn)